Happy Cinco de Mayo! It was a warm, windy humid morning so I ran over to the National Butterfly Center to look for spring strays from the south. It didn't take long before I found another Clench's Greenstreak. This time it was on Low Croton in the front garden. I figured it was Woody's from two days ago but examination of wear marks prove it to be a second.
The recent hot dry weather has really knocked down the blooms. I found only one Clytie Ministreak.
Lots of Large Orange Sulphurs around with a bewildering array of females. No two are alike,
Copulating Reakirt's Blues.
In the south gardn I was happy to find a couple of Pale-banded Crescents. I thought they were done for the season.
Only one Mexican Crescent today.
I thought I would check out the balloon vine trellis for Silver-banded Hairstreaks. The vine was blooming nicely but the only hairstreak was this surprise Red-lined Scrub-Hairstreak. Actually it's not a surprise because they also use balloon vine as a host plant.
I wandered aroud the south garden some more after lunch. I checked the Mexican Orchid and nothing but Large Orange Sulphurs. Then a cursory check of the nearby Fiddlewoods. And another Clench's Greenstreak! Three in three days.
Huron Sachem and Marine Blue pushed the Big Board up to 53 species for still early May. Pretty good.
By 2 PM it was getting too hot for humans.
